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The report details how Shell and TotalEnergies integrate themselves across the VCM value chain—from project development and trading to influencing governance—to maintain fossil fuel production while claiming progress toward net-zero. It highlights systemic issues with the integrity of the credits they use, specifically in forestry and cookstove projects, and notes that neither company has a decarbonisation plan aligned with the Paris Agreement.

The document outlines the limitations and complexities of reforestation as a climate strategy, emphasizing that avoiding deforestation is generally faster and cheaper than planting new trees. It highlights the importance of using native species, the role of indigenous peoples in carbon sequestration, and the physical limits of available reforestable land. The guide advises journalists to scrutinize survival rates and land ownership rather than relying on the number of trees planted.

The Tsarafara community, operating as a Vondron’Olona Ifotony (VOI), successfully defended its management of the Andriankely Tsiazompaniry forest against a private land claim in the Court of Cassation of the Supreme Court of Madagascar in 2024. The case highlights the critical role of legal personality and 'intérêt à agir' (legal interest to sue) in ensuring local communities can access justice to protect conserved areas. The document argues that Madagascar's contribution to the global 30x30 target depends not only on expanding conserved areas but on securing the rights of the communities managing them, a priority reflected in the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2026-2030.

The inventory identifies nature-based solutions (NbS) in Zimbabwe, focusing on reforestation and wildlife corridor conservation in biodiversity hotspots like Hwange and Zambezi National Parks. These projects integrate traditional knowledge with modern practices across sectors such as water management and sustainable agriculture to combat droughts, unpredictable rainfall, and rising temperatures.

The Nature-Based Solutions Inventory for Zimbabwe documents 10 NbS for adaptation projects across five regions, focusing on ecological restoration, livelihood resilience, and inclusive governance. Key interventions include reforestation, wetland rehabilitation, and climate-smart agriculture to combat risks such as prolonged droughts, flooding, and habitat loss. The inventory highlights a strong concentration of projects in the Southern region and emphasizes the integration of traditional knowledge and gender-responsive approaches to ensure equitable benefits for vulnerable populations.

The Kasepuhan Ciptagelar indigenous community in West Java has overcome geographic isolation and market neglect by building its own community-led internet infrastructure. Starting with a partnership in 2018 between Common Room and Awinet, the network has expanded to cover 44 hamlets across 13 villages by 2025, serving up to 2,000 daily users. The 'Ciptagelar Model' utilizes a hybrid backhaul of radio links and fiber optics, funded by a prepaid voucher system that reinvests revenue into the community. This digital sovereignty has enabled the community to fund reforestation—planting 45,000 trees over five years—and document traditional rituals. While successful, the initiative faces challenges including regulatory 'grey zones' in Indonesian law and physical infrastructure damage from extreme weather, such as the collapse of a bamboo tower in late 2024.

The report argues that the Article 6.4 Sustainable Development (SD) Tool is primarily procedural and fails to protect Indigenous Peoples and local communities due to an overreliance on national laws, narrow definitions of Indigenous status, and a restrictive approach to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). Geospatial analysis reveals that hundreds of projects in the Article 6 pipeline—including both new notifications and transitioning Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects—overlap with or are in close proximity to Indigenous and community lands, particularly in Asia. Documented cases in India, Kenya, Colombia, and Brazil demonstrate that these gaps have already led to involuntary resettlement, inadequate compensation, and long-term land conflicts.

The report evaluates three closure pathways for artisanal gold mines in Marmato, Colombia, finding that progressive closure using nature-based infrastructure (NBI) provides a return of USD 1.44 for every USD 1 invested. The primary economic driver is the reduction of mortality risks from landslides, rockfalls, and tunnel collapses. NBI interventions, including reforestation and hydrological restoration, are shown to be more cost-effective when implemented during operations rather than at the end of mine life.

The project aims to reduce urban climate vulnerabilities in Ethiopia through a combination of national policy frameworks, city-level Nature-based Solutions (NbS), and sustainable financing. In Addis Ababa, interventions focus on the Jemo-Harbu River corridor, including reforestation of Jemo Mountain, riverbank stabilization, and the creation of green canopies to mitigate heat and flood risks. In Jimma, the project targets the Awetu River catchment through reforestation, agroforestry, and wetland rehabilitation. Nationally, it establishes an Inter-Sectoral Coordination Committee and a knowledge portal to mainstream NbS into urban planning. The initiative is supported by a total of USD 47 million, with USD 25 million from the Green Climate Fund and USD 22 million from KOICA, targeting a total of 1,780,947 direct and indirect beneficiaries.

The document examines how climate change and human activity are increasing the vulnerability of both fire-adapted and non-adapted forests. It highlights the severe carbon emissions and ecological losses from recent record-breaking fires in 2023 and 2024, particularly in Canada and South America. The text details the drivers of vulnerability—including forest fragmentation and drought—and proposes resilience strategies such as securing Indigenous land rights, implementing fire breaks, and expanding restoration financing.

The SUNCASA project has implemented nature-based solutions (NbS) across three Sub-Saharan African cities, planting 2.4 million trees and shrubs and restoring over 3,500 hectares of land within its first two years. In Dire Dawa, the project focuses on afforestation and agroforestry to combat soil erosion and improve food security. In Kigali, efforts center on riparian buffer zones and agroforestry to reduce flood risks. Johannesburg's primary focus is the removal of alien invasive species to protect water quality and biodiversity. The project integrates gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) to ensure marginalized groups participate in climate adaptation. Cost-benefit analyses indicate significant future savings in flood-related infrastructure and health expenses across all three cities.

Ghana faces a critical juncture where economic recovery is threatened by a fragile, high-carbon energy sector and widespread illegal mining. The energy sector is characterized by high debt, a heavy reliance on thermal generation, and a lack of renewable energy investment. Simultaneously, illegal mining (galamsey) causes severe deforestation and water pollution, threatening food security and the viability of hydropower. The document proposes a transition toward sustainable growth through competitive solar auctions, the establishment of a green investment facility, the formalization of artisanal mining via the Ghana Gold Board, and large-scale ecosystem restoration.

The report explores how a differentiated global carbon tax—where rates are based on a country's income classification—could reduce fossil fuel emissions and foster economic growth in Africa. Under the 'Sustainable Africa' scenario, the African economy is projected to be 58% larger by 2050 than the 'Current Path', with significant reductions in extreme poverty and near-total electricity access, despite a larger economy. The document also highlights Africa's potential as a carbon sink through reforestation and land management to attract investment and carbon credits.

The Nature-Based Solutions Inventory for Belize catalogues 37 projects implemented from 2018 to 2025 across all districts. These initiatives, led primarily by NGOs and community-based organisations, focus on reforestation, mangrove and coral reef restoration, and climate-smart agriculture to mitigate risks from sea level rise, hurricanes, and droughts. The report highlights a shift from grey infrastructure to NbS, supported by national policies like the National Landscape Restoration Strategy and international funding from entities such as the Adaptation Fund and Global Affairs Canada.

The SUNCASA project utilizes a monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework to track changes in gender and social inclusion norms among participants in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Africa. Using pre- and post-training surveys with Likert-style questions, the project recorded an 82% increase in participants' knowledge of GESI issues, exceeding its 50% target. The project emphasizes an intersectional approach to identify how learning outcomes vary by gender, age, and marginalized status, specifically noting significant gains in household power dynamic awareness among women in Kigali and social equity understanding among youth in Johannesburg.

The Brazilian cattle sector accounts for 71% of the country's methane emissions, facing significant financial and biophysical risks from shifting global beef demand and climate instability. The report identifies diversification away from cattle—into non-ruminant meats, plant-based proteins, alternative proteins, and reforestation—as the most effective long-term mitigation strategy, potentially avoiding up to 166.7 Mt CO2e per year. Short-term opportunities include sustainable intensification through silvopasture and improved forage, which can reduce enteric methane by 6-25%. While feed additives and genetic breeding offer targeted reductions, their national impact is limited by scalability or delayed payoffs. The report recommends that investors integrate methane metrics into ESG frameworks and support a dual-track transition of short-term optimisation and long-term diversification.

The briefing outlines strategies to mobilize domestic and international capital for Brazil's land-use sector, specifically focusing on the restoration of degraded pastures. It highlights the limitations of existing credit lines like ABC Recovery and proposes a combination of blended finance, risk-mitigation instruments (such as TCX and RCF), and technical assistance to achieve large-scale regenerative land use. The document details government targets, including the National Program for the Recovery of Degraded Pastures (PNCPD) and the Caminho Verde program, while emphasizing the need for stronger supply chains for native seedlings and better coordination between financial institutions and the real economy.

The evaluation of Benin's National Adaptation Plan (NAP 2022–2030) for the period 2022 to mid-2025 reveals a global realization rate of 23.37% for the 415 tracked actions. Progress is highly uneven across sectors, with agriculture (45.23%), forestry (36.59%), and the coastline (30.76%) showing the most advancement, while tourism (4.25%) and urban infrastructure (9.09%) lag significantly. While 'hard' investments in drainage and reforestation and 'soft' capacity-building actions have yielded positive results, the report highlights critical gaps in intersectoral coordination, sustainable financing, and the operationalization of early warning systems. Key recommendations for 2026–2030 include harmonizing monitoring and evaluation, scaling up climate-resilient seeds and clean cooking solutions (LPG), and integrating gender-specific targets and indigenous knowledge into all adaptation activities.

The document explores how indigenous and rural communities in Indonesia, India, Mexico, and Colombia are implementing community-centered connectivity and media to resist digital colonialism and preserve cultural integrity. It highlights specific models of digital sovereignty, such as the Kasepuhan Ciptagelar's hybrid network in Indonesia and indigenous mobile virtual network operators in Mexico, while arguing that communication justice requires moving beyond simple technical access to protect local languages and knowledge systems.

The Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) assessment of the SUNCASA project in Kigali finds that nature-based solutions—including afforestation, reforestation, agroforestry, riparian restoration, and urban tree planting—are highly cost-effective for climate adaptation. Over a 25-year period, these interventions yield a benefit-cost ratio of 2.09, with a payback period of 7 years. The primary benefits derive from reduced flood damage to urban infrastructure, alongside significant public health savings and a projected 30% increase in carbon storage (approximately 600,000 tons of carbon dioxide). The project targets 2,500 hectares across six micro-catchments and includes the planting of 85,000 urban trees to mitigate risks from extreme rainfall, heat, and soil erosion.